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Sci-fi Las Vegas development to feature BIPV, IoT, AI, etc… – We don’t know quite how to describe the $7.5 billion thing that Bluetech Park Properties is building in Las Vegas, but as a start, “the net-zero buildings within their own insular mini-city will feature automated multi-functional designs, renewable energies from solar/wind/water/kinetic, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, supertrees, and self-healing concrete structures.”. Turns out that building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) glass will also be standard in all structures. Source: Bluetech Park Las Vegas

ACORE statement on ARPA-E reauthorization act of 2019 – “We commend Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson for the introduction of the ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019 and her continued role as a champion for clean energy innovation. The ARPA-E program provides critical research and development into leading-edge technologies, allowing the U.S. to stay competitive in today’s global clean energy race. Now is the time to accelerate that investment, and we welcome the opportunity to work with Congress as this bill advances through the legislative process.” Source: American Council on Renewable Energy

Maine court upholds $200/panel tax – Maine Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills has upheld the town of Brunswick’s $200-per-panel tax on solar panels. Opponents argued the tax was entirely arbitrary and would lead to stagnation of solar development within the town. The tax was originally established in 2017 at a rate of $500 per panel. Source: Portland Press Herald

Solar installer hiring in Connecticut – Solar Wolf Energy out of Connecticut is expanding and hiring! “With the rapidly growing expansion of their 3-border headquarters of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, Solar Wolf Energy has substantially increased its footprint and demand in the Constitution State. So much so that the need to on-board and hire an additional 16-30 installers and electricians in Connecticut alone.” Those interested should follow this link. Source: Solar Wolf Energy

C2 Capital sheep solar landscaping program – “C2 Energy Capital is scaling up its solar sheep program for vegetation maintenance after a highly successful pilot program launched at a Jacksonville, Florida solar power generation site. The 7-MW solar project is one of the power suppliers for JEA’s SolarMax program aimed at offering more clean energy options to its commercial customers. C2 Energy Capital expects to reduce its vegetation maintenance costs across its land-based solar power plants through the new program. Additional benefits of C2 Energy Capital’s solar sheep program include providing new economic opportunities for regional sheep farmers and further lowering the company’s carbon footprint. The company expects to rollout the new program across ten solar projects totaling over 79 megawatts.” Source: C2 Energy Capital

Sunrun’s Brightbox expands to Houston/Dallas – “As residents throughout Texas endure increasingly frequent weather-related outages, the nation’s largest home solar and battery provider, Sunrun Inc., today announced it is bringing its Brightbox home solar and battery service to households in the greater Houston and Dallas areas in Texas. Sunrun’s Brightbox home battery offers residents an affordable home energy solution that provides reliable backup electricity and greater choice for Texans to control how they power their homes. Starting this month, households in the greater Houston and Dallas areas can get Sunrun’s solar-powered home battery, Brightbox, from as little as zero dollars down and at a consistent, low monthly rate” Source: Sunrun

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Christian Roselund

Christian Roselund served as US editor at pv magazine from 2014 to 2019. Prior to this he covered global solar policy, markets and technology for Solar Server, and has written about renewable energy for CleanTechnica, German Energy Transition, Truthout, The Guardian (UK), and IEEE Spectrum.

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A sun tax, I’m surprised that one of the original 13 Colonies would stoop so low as to double tax it’s citizens and the “appliance” that takes the photons from the sun to create power for their homes.

” BRUNSWICK — A Maine court upheld Brunswick’s $200-per-panel tax on solar panels last week after seven Brunswick families challenged it in court.” “The families filed a legal challenge early this year arguing that the town placed an arbitrary and unconstitutional taxable value on the panels that will slow down the growth of solar power in town. The group has been fighting the tax for over a year.”

“Brunswick did not tax solar panels until the town’s revaluation in 2017, according to Brian Marshall an attorney for the families. Since KRT Appraisal, the company conducting the revaluation, had no formula for how solar systems should be valued, then-assessor Cathleen Jamison “decided to impose a $500 per panel assessment on all solar panels within the Town … based solely on ‘online research’ that included no Maine-specific publications,” the brief states.” “After some solar panel owners sought abatements, the per-panel assessment was reduced to $200 each. For the seven property owners Marshall is representing, abatements ranged from $82 to $174, The Times Record reported last year.” “It isn’t a lot of money, but it’s the principle of the thing,” said Jake Plante, one of the petitioners. “We knew we had (an) uphill battle … but we made our voices heard and feel it was worth it.” Because of the July 23 court ruling, the families will not be able to claim their abatements for the last two years – but it’s not all bad news for the property owners or the roughly 130 other homes with solar power in town.”

“Last month, the Legislature passed An Act to Create Tax Equity Among Renewable Energy Investments, which creates a property tax exemption for solar energy projects. Because of this, while they miss out on the money from the last two years, they will not have to fight this going forward.”

Going forward, sue Cathleen Jamison, tax her house to pay for this umbrage and court costs.

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